The Good

The Bad

Lacked pop (not park-friendly)

Squirrelly in cut up snow

Not as floaty as we hoped

THE VERDICT

The best thing about this board is its control. It has lightning fast edge-to-edge transitions, an extra-thick damping system which smoothed out most chunky snow, and great stability at top speeds, though it is lackluster in powder. Intermediates found the board stiff in a good way, earning it “confidence-inspiring” merit, but advanced riders would’ve liked even more. It’s a board that will suit riders moving up from intermediate to advanced.

FULL REVIEW

Handling/ResponsivenessThis is where the Lotus shines. “The board turns as fast as you can think about turning,” one tester noted. Its edge-to-edge response was quick-yet-graceful and it gripped ice like a skate, pleasing East Coast testers. At high speeds, everyone felt in control.

Pop & EnergyIf you like to ride park, this isn’t your board. The Lotus’s main claim to freestyle-fame was popping mini-airs off natural lips and landing solidly, but if you’re going for serious air, look elsewhere. Riding switch, spinning, and buttering all came easily, but we wouldn’t call the Lotus playful.

FloatThe Lotus’s ability to stay atop powder was fun (some testers reported nose-dives while others commented that she was “floaty!”) but nothing to write home about. A little more rocker in the nose wouldn’t hurt.

Versatility in All Types of SnowFrom ice to corduroy to chunky, end-of-day mush, the Lotus powered through all of it with an enormous amount of stability—even at high speeds. But, because it was a yawn in powder, and because some testers reported squirrelly response on chunder in steep, fast tree lines, we couldn’t give hiter the top score for all-mountain versatility. Could the Lotus be a “quiver of one” for most intermediate riders in packed powder and light snow? Absolutely.

StiffnessMany riders said the Lotus was stiff yet maneuverable, making it the perfect match for intermediate-advanced riders tackling steeps and ungroomed snow where edge-hold really counts. But our most expert riders wanted more stiffness from tip-to-tail so they could charge harder and faster on uneven snow.

ValueIf you skip the park entirely and want something that will last for multiple seasons, the Lotus would be a good choice. At $460, it’s a reasonably good value given the level of performance it will offer to intermediate riders seeking to up their game.